Author Archives: admin

About admin

I would like to think of myself as a full time traveler. I have been retired since 2006 and in that time have traveled every winter for four to seven months. The months that I am "home", are often also spent on the road, hiking or kayaking. I hope to present a website that describes my travel along with my hiking and sea kayaking experiences.

SOUTH AFRICA – The Trip

South Africa April 15-May 7, 2017 TRAVEL TIPS 1. Wild Card. This covers the conservation fees (basically the entrance fee) paid every day you spend in a national park in South Africa or Swaziland. For a foreigner, the cost is … Continue reading

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SOSSUSVLEI

Sossusvlei is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. The name “Sossusvlei” is often used in an extended meaning to refer … Continue reading

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DIAMONDS

DIAMOND – THE MINERAL Formula. (repeating unit) C Crystal system. Cubic Crystal class. Hexoctahedral (m3m) Color Typically yellow, brown, or gray to colorless. Less often blue, green, black, translucent white, pink, violet, orange, purple, and red. Crystal habit. Octahedral Cleavage. … Continue reading

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NAMIBIA – The Trip

Namibia Mar 27-April 14, 2017 WHY GO? The combination of vast space and landscape ensures that a trip through this country is a great road adventure – many lonely dirt roads cutting through desert and rock. Natural wonders max out … Continue reading

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SWAZILAND – Travel Facts

Swaziland Motto: “We are a fortress”, “We are a mystery/riddle”, “We hide ourselves away” Capital. Lobamba (royal / legislative), Mbabane (administrative) 26°19′S 31°8′E Largest city. Mbabane Official languages. Swazi, English Demonym. Swazi Government. Unitary parliamentaryabsolute diarchy, King Mswati III Independence … Continue reading

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LESOTHO – Travel Facts

Lesotho Motto: “Peace, Rain, Prosperity” Capital and largest city. Maseru 29°28′S 27°56′E Official languages. Sotho, English Ethnic groups. 99.7% Basotho, 0.3% other Africans Demonym. Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) Government. Unitary parliamentaryconstitutional. monarchy King Letsie III Independence. from the United Kingdom … Continue reading

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SOUTH AFRICA – Travel Facts

South Africa April 10-March 7, 2017 Motto: . Unity in Diversity Capital. Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative) Largest city. Johannesburg Ethnic groups. Black, Coloured, White, Asian Government. Unitary Parliamentary/Republic President. Jacob Zuma Independence from the United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland – 31 May 1910 Statute_of_Westminster – 1931, Self-governance … Continue reading

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BAOBAB TREES

Pronounced ‘boy-oh-bab’, these trees are common in all semi-arid and lowland areas of the DRC and Angola and at a similar latitude north of the equator. They have very thick trunks, up to 7m wide, and their gnarled branches, leafless … Continue reading

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO – The Trip

DRC March 9-14, 2017 The Democratic Republic of the Congo also known as DR Congo, DRC, DROC, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo is a country located in Central Africa. From 1971 to 1997 it was named Zaire, and from 1908 … Continue reading

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ANGOLA – The Trip

Angola March 9-10 & 14-28, 2017 TRAVEL TIPS 1. Angola is a black market money country. Therefore never use an ATM or credit card as it will attract the official rate 1US$ = 175AOA whereas the black market rate was … Continue reading

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